The present invention relates to a fixed chamber baler and in particular, though not limited to a fixed chamber baler for baling material into a cylindrical bale, for example, fibrous animal fodder material, such as, for example, hay, straw, grass and the like.
Such fixed chamber balers are well known. Typically, the baler is mounted on a chassis which in turn is carried on ground engaging wheels. The chassis, typically, is arranged to be towed behind a towing vehicle, for example, a tractor. Power from the power take-off shaft of the tractor and from the hydraulic power supply is transmitted to the baler for operating the baler. Such fixed chamber balers define a bale forming chamber which, in general, is of fixed constant volume. Such fixed chamber balers are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,176,596 of Welger, U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,512 of Texas Industries and U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,379 of Sperry. Other fixed chamber balers are disclosed in British Patent Specification No. 2,277,708A of Deere and European Patent Specification No. 0,788,732A of Welger.
In general, during the formation of the bale the volume of the bale forming chamber does not vary. Although, provision is made in the balers of U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,512 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,379 of Texas and Sperry, respectively for reducing the volume of the bale forming chamber initially at the commencement of the formation of each bale in order to form a compact core about which the bale is formed.
Such balers, in general, comprise a plurality of rotatably mounted rollers which are located around the circumferential periphery of the bale forming chamber, and which form the bale forming chamber. The rollers are rotated for rotating the material within the bale forming chamber around a main central axis defined by the bale forming chamber for forming the bale. Alternatively, slats carried on a pair of spaced apart chains extending around the circumferential periphery of the bale forming chamber define the bale forming chamber, and the slats are urged circumferentially around the bale forming chamber for rotating the material to be baled within the bale forming chamber around the main central axis of the bale forming chamber for forming the bale. In other such fixed chamber balers the slats which are carried on the spaced apart chains which extend around the circumferential periphery of the bale forming chamber may be replaced by belts, which cause the material to be baled in the bale forming chamber to rotate about the main central axis of the bale forming chamber. Such fixed chamber balers will be well known to those skilled in the art.
Such fixed chamber balers are extensively used for baling animal fodder, for example, hay, straw, silage and other fibrous animal fodder crops into cylindrical bales, which are commonly referred to as round bales. Such bales are typically of diameter of approximately 1.5 meters and of axial length of approximately 1.25 meters. In the baling of grass to form silage, after the bale has been formed it is then wrapped in a watertight, airtight wrapping material, typically, an adhesive coated plastics film material which is opaque to prevent light reaching the silage, and more commonly is of colour black, white or green. In general, such balers discharge the bale onto the ground, typically, in the field from which the grass has been harvested. A bale wrapper then picks up the formed bales and wraps the bales in the film material. This requires a bale wrapper to be trailed around the field after the baler to pick up the formed bales for wrapping. This is inefficient. Additionally, where hay, straw and the like are baled using such balers the formed bale is similarly discharged onto the ground in the field. Such bales, in general, do not require wrapping, and thus must be collected from the ground for storing in a barn or other suitable storing location. Due to the fact that such balers discharge a formed bale onto the ground, a further piece of apparatus is required to pick the bales up from the ground, either in the case of grass bales to wrap the grass bales, or in the case of hay and straw bales for transporting the hay and straw bales to the barn or other suitable storage location. This is inconvenient and inefficient.
It would be considerably more convenient if such fixed chamber balers were to deposit the bale onto a trailer, or in the case of silage, a bale wrapper, which could be trailed behind the baler, or indeed, could be formed by an extension of the chassis on which the baler is mounted. Fixed chamber balers are unsuitable for discharging a bale onto a trailer or onto a bale wrapper. This is because of the fact that such fixed chamber balers discharge the formed bale from the bale forming chamber from the lower end thereof. A lower portion of the baler which defines the bale forming chamber is pivoted downwardly from the baler to permit discharge of the formed bale downwardly rearwardly from the bale forming chamber. Because of the relatively low level at which the bale is discharged from the baler, in general, the bale must be discharged onto the ground, or alternatively, onto a transfer mechanism which is located at a low level just above the ground for raising the discharged bale from the low level at which it is discharged to an elevated position onto a trailer or a bale wrapper. This is unsatisfactory.
It is known to trail bale accumulators behind fixed chamber balers for collecting bales discharged from the baler, however, such accumulators must be provided with a platform for receiving the bales at a relatively low level. This requires that such bale accumulators must be low slung, and thus, are unsuitable for use over uneven ground. In general, since fields present an uneven surface, such low slung bale accumulators are unsuitable for use in the majority of fields.
Variable volume chamber balers are known which discharge a formed bale at a relatively high level. For example, European Patent Specification No. 0,309,938 of Hesston discloses such a variable volume chamber baler. However, such variable volume chamber balers lack the efficiency and versatility of fixed chamber balers, and furthermore, there is little control over the discharge of bales from such balers, which can thus lead to handling problems in the transfer of the bales to a trailer or bale wrapper located behind or trailed behind such balers.
There is therefore a need for a fixed chamber baler which is suitable for discharging a formed bale at a relatively high level, and in particular, at a level which is suitable for discharging the formed bale onto a trailer, a bale wrapper or other suitable storing platform which may be formed integral with or trailed behind the fixed chamber baler.
The present invention is directed towards providing such a fixed chamber baler.